As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Hello! This is my first trip report on my first trip to DL (and my first trip to the state of California too!) I'm sorry that this is a bit late, but I have been really busy and didn't have much luck uploading the photos. Well, here we go...I hope you enjoy it! My First TR on my First Trip to Disneyland Resort!
Well, being originally from Massachusetts, I never thought that I would visit the Disneyland Resort (DLR). I never visited WDW until I was a senior in High School on a band trip in 1985. It was a good time with a couple of gals who played in my percussion group, adventuring into the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
Since that time, I visited WDW 5 more times (from 2005 through 2008) with my family.These have been great vacations, but I was looking forward to our visit to DLR. This was not only my first trip to DLR, but also to California. This trip was a bit spontaneous for us as we never started planning for it until about early February. This trip was also a bit of a struggle to happen too, as I broke my hip in late February (from falling at the local ice rink). This limited me to crutches for the next 6 weeks and an ECV in DLR and Disney’s California Resort (DCA).
DW and I also wanted this trip to be a surprise for our two sons, so we didn’t want them to know about it until that morning that we were to fly out of Montana. But another hurdle came along, this one known as a blizzard. This storm was expected to affect the Denver area (where we were expected to change planes). The airlines called me the day before we were to fly out telling me that our flight to Orange County Airport from Denver was cancelled. We still had hope though – as we were not going to let this cancel our vacation! That evening, we were on hold with the airlines to rearrange things – maybe we could fly in a day late or two? No way, so I then thought that we could check out flights from Denver to LAX – and wala! We were headed to Disneyland! (albeit about 8 hours later than originally scheduled ).
When we landed in California at 10 PM, the 65 degree weather felt so good! We had just experienced a colder than normal winter here in Montana, so I was looking very much to the warmer weather. Claudine called for a town car to pick us up, and we would be enjoying the 1 hour trip from LAX to the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites (located just two blocks from the DL gates!).
The next morning, we woke up and headed straight to the parks. Since we had a 6 day ticket, we received park hopper perks. So we visited DL and DCA. The weather was awesome, with plenty of sunshine, a high temperature of about 82 and low humidity (yes, low humidity! ). Just perfect park weather. After we past the baggage check, we took a right turn for Disneyland, destination – Space Mountain! This has been rebuilt with a smoother track and a sound system. We enjoyed the ride more than the one in WDW, because of the refinements.
In DCA, we next walked to California Screamin’. It’s a loop coaster that also has a sound system and is quite the thrill! Up to this point, Colin had said that he will go on all the rides except for this one! For weeks, Claudine was bound and determined to bring him on this one. At the entrance, there was a little bit of a tug-of-war going on, until an understanding mother encouraged Colin to give it a try. She told him about her son who rode on at about his age, and didn’t think much of it. Well, that was enough to get Colin to stand in line at least. He certainly had a very stern look on his face and didn’t say too much while we stood in line. He remained quiet after we sat in the cars (sitting next to mom of course) and we didn’t hear a peep from him until after we passed the loop. He is a vocal kid on adventure rides, so it was good to finally hear him get excited. As you can imagine, he was hooked! We probably rode this ride about a dozen times in the next 5 days (and was of course became his favorite)!
Since this was a Sunday, I expected the crowds to be a bit on the high side. But they didn’t seem that bad compared to WDW. Wait times were often times 25 to 50 minutes (the Grizzly River Run however had 70 minutes).
To get a break from the crowded lines, we wanted to enjoy a Broadway-quality show. This was “Aladdin”, being shown at the Hyperion Theater. It is a 40 minute show that had us laughing all the way – especially when we were watching the Genie. He played his part well and made it more fun when he even interjected humor about Current Affairs.
On Monday, the weather was a carbon copy to Sunday’s, so I had to use a little bit of sunscreen. I didn't mind since I hadn't used any in about 8 months.However, I was a bit disappointed, as the crowds seemed to be just about as heavy as they were on Sunday. I asked a couple of people in line (who were from the local area) and said they were on Spring Break. Well, there goes that expectation that the parks were going to be a bit low through the remainder of the week. I read that the crowds typically are lower on the weekdays.
One of our favorite rides was Indiana Jones. The car had the same type of movement as the ride at WDW’s Dinosaur, but not as loud, therefore more enjoyable. The beginning part of the ride featured the giant ball rolling toward you. The adventurous feeling lasted through the remainder of the ride and whetted your appetite to try it several more times (which we did! ).
The trip was a great break from the hustle and bustle of the school year. I’m glad that Disney was able to accommodate my temporary handicap too. We will be visiting this park again for sure, probably staying at the Grand Californian next time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
About This Page: 
My First Trip Report!
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). Just perfect park weather. After we past the baggage check, we took a right turn for Disneyland, destination – Space Mountain! This has been rebuilt with a smoother track and a sound system. We enjoyed the ride more than the one in WDW, because of the refinements. 
I read that the crowds typically are lower on the weekdays.
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